Game Preview: Checkers vs San Antonio (April 4, 2017)

The Checkers kick off their final home stand of the season by hosting the Rampage for the first time in a crucial contest. Here are 9 things to watch heading into tonight's game.

1. PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS

It was an up-and-down week for the Checkers, but taking five of a possible eight points has currently put the team on the outside of the playoff picture looking in by a slim margin. The Monsters hold the final playoff spot with 77 points and six games to play, while the Checkers have 75 points and seven games to play, putting Cleveland in fourth place by virtue of points percentage. The teams are essentially dead even, however, as they would both finish with 89 points if they were to each win out.

Both the Checkers and Monsters have four games on the slate this upcoming week, with the former hosting San Antonio and Texas for two games each and the latter visiting Iowa, Milwaukee and Grand Rapids before hosting the Griffins on Sunday.

2. AGAINST THE RAMPAGE

Tonight marks the third meeting between the Rampage and Checkers this season and the first since November. In the two squads’ first series, San Antonio got the best of Charlotte on home ice, topping the Checkers 3-1 and 2-1 on back-to-back nights. Both contests featured down-to-the-wire action, with the Rampage erasing a Charlotte lead and netting the game-winner in the last five minutes of regulation in the first matchup, and then following it up by fending off a Charlotte comeback down the stretch.

Since then, San Antonio has hit some struggles, falling into the cellar of the Western Conference. The Rampage come into tonight’s contest losers of five straight overall and on a 1-13-1 skid on the road.

3. MISSING FIREPOWER

The Checkers have caught a bit of a break in terms of the roster they’ll be facing, as the Rampage have seen several key pieces depart for the NHL. San Antonio will be without leading scorer Rocco Grimaldi, who ranks third in the AHL in goals, as well as rookie phenom J.T. Compher, as both are currently with Colorado. Add to that the departure of Joe Whitney via trade and the Rampage’s current roster is missing three of their top six scorers this season.

In fact, only eight players who were on the roster for San Antonio’s two wins over Charlotte in November are still currently on the roster heading into tonight’s game.

4. MILLER'S TIME

After recovering from a tough injury that sidelined him for over a month in the middle of the season, Andrew Miller has erupted to become hottest offensive player on Charlotte’s roster. The 28-year-old forward is on a four-game point streak that has seen him pile up seven points, and over the last 19 games he has a staggering 24 points. Miller’s recent surge has pushed him to third on the team in scoring with 36 points in 48 games.

5. HOME FINALE

This week will mark the final home stand of the season for the Checkers as they host San Antonio for a pair of weekend matchups and Texas for a weekend series.

The Checkers have been enjoyed their best season on home ice in 2016-17, logging a franchise-best 23 wins thus far. They’ll look to use that strength to buck a trend that has seen the Checkers struggle at home late in the season. In their six previous season, the Checkers have only completed their final home stand of the year over .500 twice, going 3-2-2 in 2012-13 and 2-1-0 in 2010-11.

6. JUNIOR REINFORCEMENTS

The Checkers received another high-end prospect for the stretch run today in defenseman Jake Bean. The 6-foot-1 blue liner, who was selected in the first round of last summer’s draft, recently wrapped his WHL season with the Calgary Hitmen, where he recorded 45 points (8g, 37a) in 43 games to lead team defensemen. At 18 years old, Bean won’t be eligible to start next season with the Checkers, but could see game action at some point during the last seven games of this season.

Getting into the lineup could prove to be tough, as the Checkers have rolled with the same six defensemen in the 18 games since acquiring Philip Samuelsson, going 12-5-1 over that stretch. Bean joins Hudson Elynuik, who has yet to make his debut, as the additions from junior currently on the Charlotte roster.

7. GOALIE TANDEM

Tom McCollum, an AHL trade deadline acquisition for Charlotte, has been a work horse in net for the Checkers. The veteran netminder has played in 10 of the Checkers’ last 11 games and was named the CCM/AHL Goaltender of the Month after going 7-1-1 with a 1.88 goals-against average during the month of March.

The Checkers also recently got a taste of what the other half of their goaltending duo can bring to the table. With Tom McCollum out of the lineup for a pivotal matchup against the Griffins last Friday, Daniel Altshuller stepped into the starter role and shined. In his first appearance since March 9, the third-year pro stopped 30 of the 31 shots he saw, with his shutout bid getting broken up in the final minute of regulation, and earned the Checkers a huge victory.

Spending much of this season as Charlotte’s backup netminder, Altshuller is 3-1-0 in his last five appearances

8. FINN ON FIRE

It didn’t take long for Aleksi Saarela to adjust to the North American game. It didn’t take any time, as a matter of fact, as the 20-year-old forward is turning heads after just four games with Charlotte.

Saarela has recorded at least one point in each of his first four games with the Checkers, totaling six points (4g, 2a) overall. That performance was good enough to earn the Helsinki native the AHL/CCM Player of the Week award, making him the seventh player in franchise history to receive the honor and just the third skater.

9. TUNE IN!

Make sure to tune in to Jason Shaya's call of tonight's game live from Bojangles' Coliseum via the Checkers app or online. The pregame show kicks off at 6:45.

You can also use the Checkers App to receive score updates and to play the new Top Line game!